Saturday, August 30, 2008

Two political posts in a row...I'm not abandoning the pictures of my cute kids, the thought of Obama as president just scares the bejeebers out of me! Writing about it makes me feel a little better.

So, why am I terrified of an Obama presidency? Where to start…

I recently finished the book “The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy (Good book…a bit too much submarine/naval technical detail, but good overall). In the book there are a group of Soviet officers defecting to the United States, and you really get a look at what life is like in a socialist country. The captain's motivation for defecting is to punish the Socialist system over the death of his wife, who died from appendicitis. She received inadequate treatment from the state-run health care system.

Oh…but don’t we want state run health care in the US? No! In Canada, the average patient waited more than 18 weeks in 2007 between seeing their family doctor and receiving the surgery or treatment they required. They waited 22 months for a hip replacement. The median wait for an MRI across Canada was 10.1 weeks. Aaron needed an MRI a few months ago. He had it done immediately.

The book discusses in detail the control that the government has over the lives of it’s citizens. It’s truly frightening.

Not as frightening as the fact that one of the men running for president wants more government regulation of the economy, more redistribution of wealth, more superiority of international institutions, more nationalization of medicine…more and more control over our lives.

As I read the book, I just kept thinking over and over…this is where Obama wants to lead our country. Obviously, not to the same extreme that existed in the Soviet Union…well, not in 4 years anyway.

Here’s an example. Obama wants to take the profits from oil companies and give them to “working class families”. That sounds good, doesn’t it?

If Obama is elected, and follows through with taking oil profits, do you think it will STOP with oil profits? Their profit margin is only 7-11%. There are tons companies and industries that make WAY more than that. Wal-Mart and Microsoft make a significantly higher margin. Glen Beck puts it this way “As for whether or not states and/or "working families" have the right to take the profits oil companies have made, I guess that depends on whether you adhere to the U.S. Constitution or the Communist Manifesto.”

Obama made a statement during the primaries that people in small towns that fall on hard times “cling to guns or religion …as a way to explain their frustrations.”

I remember enough from college to know how much this sounds like Karl Marx’s line about religion being the opiate of the masses.

Let’s look at a few of his wife’s ideas:

"And Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism, that you put down your division, that you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones, that you push yourselves to be better, and that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual - uninvolved, uninformed..." (Speech in February, 2008)

"Barack knows that we are going to have to make sacrifices, that we are going to have to change our conversation, we're gonna have to change our traditions, our history, we're gonna have to move into a different place as a nation." (Campaign speech in Puerto Rico)

Let’s see…”require you”, “demand that you”, “will never allow you to”, “have to make sacrifices”. Hmmm…lots of freedom there…

You know what? I like my traditions, my history and my nation. I am proud of all three. I’m sorry Barack Obama; your change is not for me.

In her speech at the DNC she said that her husband is running “to make health care available for every American, and to make sure every child in this nation gets a world class education all the way from preschool to college”. But what if you don’t want to send your child to preschool? You don’t think you should actually get the choice, do you? What if you want to be a plumber, and have no desire to go to college? It’s a good thing the government knows what’s best for you.

I know this is insanely long, but I have to talk about taxes.

Obama has proposed creating a slew of government spending programs that are disguised as tax credits.

Here’s the deal:The bottom 40% of income earners already pays no income taxes (data from the Congressional Budget Office). Actually, they receive a payment from the federal income tax system (meaning from the taxpayers). This amounts to them paying negative 3.8%. Seriously. Currently, this is in the form of the Earned Income Credit (EIC), but Obama wants to significantly expand these credits so that many are “refundable”. So the people that pay NO taxes will be getting huge checks.

That’s what he means when he talks about tax cuts…redistribution of wealth! Not really the kind of tax cuts that I had in mind.

He would like us to believe that the “wealthy” aren’t paying taxes, while the “middle class” foots the bill.

Actually, let’s look at the numbers…the middle 20% of income earners, the true middle class, pays 4.4% of federal all income taxes. Did you catch that? That means the wealthiest 40% of the nation is paying 99.4% of the income taxes! (Yes, I know that equals more than 100%...remember, we have to make up for the negative 3.8% that is going to the people who don’t pay ANY taxes)

Hitler and Stalin both promised hope and change. Let’s think about the kind of change we want.

Friday, August 29, 2008

I have hope. Sarah Palin has given it to me. I seriously watched her speech with tears in my eyes (I also cry at the Liberty Mutual commercials).

This really isn't a political blog...it's more of a look-how-cute-my-kids-are blog, but I am so excited that this wonderful woman is a vice presidentail candidate! I'm afraid you will probably see more of my political thoughts on here more often in the coming months.

Last night, Abbott saw Obama on TV and said "mom, is that the guy that wants to take away our freedoms?" Why yes it is! So I guess it's safe to say my family has been getting an earful of my opinions!

So, I am not John McCain's biggest fan. This election has been a bit depressing for me. I know that McCain is the closest to my beliefs, but I just wasn't feeling the love.

Enter Sarah Palin. Now I am feeling the love! I heard her name tossed around a month or so ago. I found out a little about her, and began hoping she would get chosen. Yippee! I finally got something I wanted.

A few reasons why she is so great:

1. She is pro-life. She recently had a baby boy born with down syndrome. She knew that he had it before he was born. She says that she is grateful for the blessings this special child has brought into her life.2. She called the global warming theory "unreliable", and asserted that human activity has not caused Arctic ice to melt.3. She married her high school sweetheart, and they have been married 20 years.4. She has 5 kids, and she loves being a mom!5. She went from the PTA to city council to mayor to governor to vice president. She wanted to actually change things (not the Obama kind of change...good change!) and she did! She ran for office to make a difference.6. Her oldest son, 19-year-old Track, enlisted in the Army a year ago, and will be deployed to Iraq next month. She visited the Alaskan National Guard in Iraq and Kuwait last summer.7. She is religious.8. She fishes and hunts...that's just cool!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Today was the day that Anna has been looking forward to for six months. The first day of preschool. For the rest of the year, my Anna will spend Tuesday and Thursday mornings with Miss Pam. I spent all day yesterday trying to convince her that she was going to miss me. I really am glad that she is so excited to go, but shouldn't she miss me a little? Nope, not this preschooler.

When Abbott started preschool, I don't think I even took pictures (Aiden did a "home group" preschool, so no pictures there either). But with Anna, it was a huge production!

For the first day, we (well, I) had picked out an adorable dress with apples on it and red patent leather mary janes. We tried it on last night, and it was too big! So after digging through everything she has, we decided on the skirt you see in the pictures. This sure is a lot more complicated with girls!

This morning she woke up with a huge smile on her face...it's her special day! She got dressed, and wore her backpack around for the next hour. (You can't really see the backpack in the pictures...it has a stuffed cat on it...really adorable)

I spent 15 minutes making the most perfect pigtails that I have ever done, spraying the wispies into place, and meticulously clipping in the bows.

Then, I ran to brush my teeth and put my shoes on. When I came back, I found Anna soaking wet with pigtails that looked like she had slept in them!

"What did you do?!?" I asked, ok demanded, a little too harshly. She had decided to improve her hairdo with some water...just like her brothers do when they get ready for school.

So I had mommy guilt for scolding her.

In the pictures you can see that her shirt is wet and her pigtails are a hurried redo. Fortunately, she is still absolutely adorable.

I was wondering if Adeline would miss her sis, but I really don't think she will even notice she is gone two mornings a week.

It wasn't a big surprise to hear that she loved it. Her teacher said that she was perfectly behaved and very smart. I wish she were perfectly behaved for me!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

In my last post I mentioned that I read "The Parenting Breakthrough". The main focus of the book is teaching kids to be independent and responsible. It also talks about several ways to strengthen your family and use family life to teach your children.

One thing specifically mentioned is developing family mottos. I thought this was a great idea, and when I presented it to Aaron and the kids, they thought it was a great idea too!

We brainstormed together and came up with five Patterson Family Mottos. I typed it up and hung it on the fridge. (Notice the font...it is the "Twilight" font...I downloaded it and have been using it for everything lately...yes, I know I'm a dork!)

I have to say, this has been WONDERFUL! We have had the mottos in place for a week and a half, and we use them constantly! I think I say "Pattersons are nice" 20 times a day. The crazy thing is...it actually works! I just say "Pattersons don't whine", and the whining (usually) stops. The kids even say them. The other day Abbott was being a bad loser playing a game and Anna said "Pattersons have fun!" It was really cute, but I think Abbott wanted to hit her.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

I recently read the book "The Parenting Breakthrough" by Merrilee Boyack. It is FANTASTIC! It's all about raising your kids to be responsible, independent adults by the time they leave your house. This means teaching them things like cooking, cleaning, finances...everything!

Two weeks ago we began our "training". I tried to make it fun by putting chores in balloons, and they had to do what they popped. They keep the same chores for a whole month.

Aiden put on my hot pink gloves and made the bathroom shine!

Isn't he cute? He did a great job, and exclaimed "cleaning the bathroom is fun!" I was in shock! I was trying to be a slave driver! It's only been two weeks, so I'm sure some of the novelty will wear off, but it is wonderful to see him working so hard.

Abbott, on the other hand, is less excited.

He was pumped when we gave him the allowance, but when it came to the chore part, he wasn't too interested.

Anna had fun playing with the duster. I am trying to be creative with chores for her to do. This week she wiped off all the doorknobs in the house.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Twilight the movie will be in theaters three weeks earlier than originally planned!!!! It is now being released November 21, 2008!

I am so excited.

Do you think this has anything to do with the Harry Potter movie that was supposed to be released in November (now pushed back to July 2009)? Maybe they didn't want to compete with Harry, and now that he's out of the way they went for a November release.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Last night we were in the living room watching the Olympics. Adeline was clawing my face, so I decided to clip her fingernails. You have to know something about our sweet little Adeline.

She HATES getting her nails cut. Saying she hates it really doesn't cover it. She hates it like the rest of us would hate having our hand dipped in boiling oil.

So I get set up. Clippers, treats, toys, daddy. As soon as I whip out the clippers, she twists herself into a pretzel, screams at the top of her lungs, and tries desperately to free her hand from the woman lopping off her fingertips. I use my whole body to try to keep her still while Aaron tries goofy faces and toys to distract her. By the tiime I get to the 10th finger, my hands are sore and I am out of breath.

She calmed right down as soon as the torture was over, and Aaron said "they should make THAT an Olympic sport!".

That really got me thinking. OK, maybe I'm not a gymnast or a swimmer, but I have lots of mommy talents! I'd like to see Michael Phelps clip the fingernails of a squirming, screaming baby without drawing blood!

Here are a few more of my ideas for the Mommy Olympics:

1. Breastfeeding while vacuuming2. Cooking dinner, talking on the phone, and helping kids with homework at the same time...all while holding a baby. Let's call that the triathalon.3. Speed diaper changing4. Toddler hair styling (Amy and Alissa can fight for the gold)5. Grocery shopping with four kids6. Middle of the night vomit cleaning

I'd love to hear your ideas for additional events for the Mommy Olympics!

Monday, August 11, 2008

This spring I splurged on some new pillows from Pier 1 for my living room. I fell in love with them, and they "refreshed" the room without a major overhaul. Here is my couch with my pretty pillows.

I really, really liked these pillows. That is, until the last day of school. I was horrified to see that the school had also done some "refreshing".

I snapped this picture on the last day of school (I had the kids get in the picture so I didn't look like a crazy lady taking pictures of the waiting area).

So...I apparently have the same decorating scheme as an elementary school! I was reminded of this not-so-happy fact when school started back up and the offending pillows were still there.

I, of course, decided to get new pillows. The problem is that I really, really like these pillows and they were pretty expensive (for pillows).

So I came up with three options:

1) Pay some 4th grader to "accidentally" destroy the pillows at the school2) Sadly sell mine on ebay3) Hunt down some "fall" pillows, pull these back out in the spring, and hope the elementary school will have moved on by then.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

This morning I was sitting around the table eating breakfast and reading scriptures with Aaron and the two boys. We were just about finished when Anna came stumbling out into the kitchen. I couldn't help taking her picture because her grumpy face cracked me up! This is what Anna looks like in the morning:

She twirls her hair in her sleep and creates a swirly rats nest on the top of her head. She has actually gotten her finger stuck and had to call for help as the circulation was cut off! Every morning I pick out what we affectionately call the "wats" (rats). And then we are able to brush it out and turn her into a beautiful little princess.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Last Friday I was able to go to the Breaking Dawn release party. We had to go pick up our van three hours away (see "eventful roadtrip") and I was bummed to miss the party at Borders. It worked out great, because I was able to go to the party at Hastings in Russellville with my sister Lindsey (who is a big fan) and my mom (who is a so-so fan). Here we are getting ready to go. My sister and I were giddy like a couple of little kids! We even made matching shirts! (actually...coordinating)

Here we are at the bookstore

There was a trivia game over the first three books. I showed off my dorkiness, and won lots of prizes. Here is my loot!

Isn't the bag great? I was so excited! The best part is that I talked the lady at the bookstore into giving me a copy of the trivia questions. Breaking Dawn is our September book for book group, and I want to have a trivia contest using my excess stickers and buttons as prizes!

I loved the book and I am actually sad that it's over :( Time to move on to the movie...December seems so far away!

Monday, August 4, 2008

OK, I am a bit late with this, but I just HAD to share these pictures!

Last week I asked the kids what they wanted to do before going back to school. It was unanimous...bowling! So we checked out the new Fast Lane, and had a great time!

I tried to get all four of them...Adeline was done and Aiden followed her. You can always count on Anna for a pose.

We spent a lot of time waiting on Anna's ball to roll down the lane...

This is the best picture! Adeline's wild hair is being blown by the fan. It was hilarious!

Then Adeiline decided to tottle up one of the VERY slippery lanes. I, of course, went to grab her. It shouldn't be hard to imagine what happened next. I busted my rear end. Hard. Adeline also fell as she tried to escape.

When I turned around, I saw the teenage boy who was wiping the tables laughing his head off. I am so glad I could provide some entertainment!

It's the first day of school! My kiddos are on a "non-traditional" schedule, so they start a little early.

They were so excited! Aiden told me that he was most excited about wearing his new shoes! (Aren't I a mean mom for not letting him wear his new tennis shoes until the first day of school?) Six weeks is plenty of summer. They were ready to go back, and I have to admit that I was getting ready for them to go back.

There is one person in the family that was NOT ready for them to go back.

She was fine until she realized she didn't get to stay at the school with them. I tried to tell her that she gets to go to preschool in a month, but she was still pretty put out!

So...I am back to early mornings and a schedule. I think it will be good for us!

Aaron and Aubrey recently celebrated 12 wonderful years together! We have four amazing children. Aiden is 11, Abbott is 9, Anna is 6, and Adeline is 3. We are so blessed. Our house is a crazy circus, and I wouldn't have it any other way!